Details of the Battle of the Camel

Narration 1

Expounding on the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (ra), the oath of allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra) and the Battle of the Camel, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says:

“Various groups of the assassins dispersed to different areas. To shield themselves from being convicted of Hazrat Uthman’s murder, they began deflecting blame upon others. When they learnt that the Muslims had given the oath of allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra), it gave them a perfect opportunity to point fingers. It is true that from among those around Hazrat Ali (ra) were some who were involved in assassinating Hazrat Uthman (ra). This gave the hypocrites an ideal chance to lay blame on someone else. The party that was heading towards Mecca convinced Hazrat Aisha (ra) to announce Jihad to avenge the murder of Hazrat Uthman (ra). Therefore, Hazrat Aisha(ra) declared Jihad and searched for Companions to support her. Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) pledged allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra) on the condition that he would swiftly dispense punishment for the murderers of Hazrat Uthman (ra). Their interpretation of ‘swift’ was contrary to Hazrat Ali’s view given the circumstances at the time. Hazrat Ali (ra) felt the priority was to first consolidate order in the regions and then turn attention towards punishing the assassins. He felt the primary objective had to be safeguarding Islam and that there was no harm in delaying punishment for the murderers.

“There were also differences of opinion about the identity of the murderers. Hazrat Ali (ra) did not suspect those who had first approached him – who showed deep remorse and sorrow and expressed their concern of discord among the Muslims – to be the architects of this mischief. However, there were others who had doubts about these same people. As a result of these contrasting viewpoints, Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) felt that Hazrat Ali (ra) had rescinded his promise to them. They had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra) on one condition, and now they deemed that the condition had not been fulfilled. “Therefore, they made their own decisions considering themselves to be free from their oath of allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra).

“After learning about Hazrat Aisha’s (ra) declaration they too joined forces with her and all of them set out for Basra. The governor of Basra tried to prevent people from joining them. However, when the residents came to know that Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Ali (ra) on a particular condition, therefore the majority joined them. When Hazrat Ali (ra) was notified of this, he also prepared an army and advanced towards Basra. Arriving in Basra, Hazrat Ali (ra) sent a person to Hazrat Aisha (ra), Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra). The individual first spoke to Hazrat Aisha (ra) and asked what her intentions were. Hazrat Aisha (ra) replied that she only sought reconciliation and nothing else. The individual then asked Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) if they had also set out for battle for the same reason, to which they replied in the affirmative. The individual explained, ‘If this is your intention, then your recourse to action is mistaken and this would only lead to discord. The current circumstances in the land would mean should you kill one person, a thousand more would rise up in defence. Thus, reconciliation can be achieved by first uniting the people on one hand. Then after that, mete out punishment to the mischievous party. Dispensing punishment in the current climate would be akin to wreaking further havoc and disorder. Let law and order first establish itself and then carry out retribution. Hearing this, they said they were ready to meet Hazrat Ali (ra) based on this notion.’ This individual informed Hazrat Ali (ra) of the outcome. Both parties finally met and resolved that war was the wrong path to adopt and instead reconciliation should be met.

“When this news reached Abdullah bin Saba’s men, who had perpetrated the killing of Hazrat Uthman (ra), they became extremely anxious and a party among them gathered in secrecy for consultation. After consultation, they concluded that if the Muslims were to reconcile with one another, it would prove extremely unfavourable for them because they knew that they would only evade punishment for the killing of Hazrat Uthman (ra), as long as the Muslims continued to fight against one another. They knew that if there was peace and harmony amongst the Muslims, they would have no escape, therefore, no matter what, they could not allow this to happen. In the meantime, Hazrat Ali (ra) also arrived and on the second day after his arrival, he and Hazrat Zubair (ra) met. Hazrat Ali (ra) stated to Hazrat Zubair (ra), ‘You have indeed prepared an army to fight against me, but have you also prepared a justification for this which you shall present before your Lord? Why are you all adamant to destroy Islam with your very hands which you once served by endangering your own lives? Am I not your brother? Why is it that spilling the blood of one another was deemed unlawful before and yet now it has become permissible? It would be understandable if a new injunction had been revealed, but when that is not the case, why then do you stand in opposition?’

“Hazrat Talha (ra) was also with Hazrat Zubair (ra) at the time and replied, ‘You incited those who killed Hazrat Uthman (ra).’

“‘I curse all those who were involved in the killing of Hazrat Uthman (ra)!’ said Hazrat Ali (ra). Addressing Hazrat Zubair (ra), Hazrat Ali (ra) then stated, ‘Do you not recall that the Holy Prophet (sa) once stated, “By God, you will fight against Ali and you will be amongst the transgressors.”’

“Upon hearing this, Hazrat Zubair (ra) returned to his army and vowed that he would not fight against Hazrat Ali (ra) and admitted that he had erred in his interpretation of the affairs. When this news spread amongst his army, they were content that battle would no longer take place between them and in fact, the two parties would reconcile. However, the rebels who sought to spread mischief became anxious, therefore in order to prevent them from reconciling, when night fell, those who had infiltrated in Hazrat Ali’s (ra) army, launched an attack against the army of Hazrat Aisha(ra), Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra), whilst those who had infiltrated in their camp, did vice versa. Consequently, this led to chaos and both armies assumed that the other had deceived them, but in actuality, this was a ploy of Abdullah bin Saba’s men. Once the battle had commenced, Hazrat Ali (ra) called for someone to inform Hazrat Aisha (ra) as perhaps God Almighty may quell the disorder through her. Subsequently, Hazrat Aisha’s (ra) camel was brought forward but this led to an even more perilous situation because the rebels, fearing that their ploy was going to fail once again, began to shoot their arrows in the direction of Hazrat Aisha’s camel. Hazrat Aisha (ra) began to loudly proclaim, ‘O people, cease fighting and recall Allah the Almighty and the Day of Reckoning.’ However, the rebels failed to pay heed and continued to shoot arrows at Hazrat Aisha’s camel. The people of Basra were with the army of Hazrat Aisha (ra) and upon witnessing these scenes and the dishonour of Ummul Momineen – Hazrat Aisha (ra) – they became extremely infuriated and drew out their swords and launched an attack against the opposing army. Subsequently, Hazrat Aisha’s camel became the focal point of the battle. Many companions (ra) and valiant men stood around the camel, and one by one they began to be slain, but they remained in control of the camel’s reins.

“Hazrat Zubair (ra) did not take part in the battle and had distanced himself to one side, however a wretched individual went from behind whilst he was in a state of prayer and martyred him. Hazrat Talha (ra) was martyred in the battlefield and was killed at the hands of the rebels. When the battle intensified, some of the men realised that the only way to stop the battle was by removing Hazrat Aisha (ra) from the battlefield. Therefore, they cut the legs of the camel and placed the saddle in which Hazrat Aisha (ra) was sat, onto the ground. It was only then that the battle stopped. Upon witnessing this entire incident, Hazrat Ali’s face became red with sorrow but there was nothing else that could be done either. When Hazrat Ali (ra) witnessed the body of Hazrat Talha (ra) amongst those who were martyred during the battle, he expressed deep sorrow.

“From these events, it is evidently clear that the companions (ra) were at no fault in this battle and this was all owing to the evil plot of those rebels who had killed Hazrat Uthman (ra). Moreover, Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) passed away whilst in the Bai‘at [oath of allegiance] of Hazrat Ali(ra) because they had turned back from their original intentions and had resolved to support Hazrat Ali (ra), however they were killed at the hands of the rebels. Hazrat Ali (ra) cursed those who killed them.”

(Anwar-e-Khilafat, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 3, pp. 198-201)

Narration 2

Whilst mentioning the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal] and Hazrat Talha’s martyrdom in another place, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states:

“When prophets appear in the world, those who accept them in the very early days of their claim are in fact considered amongst the most eminent. Every Muslim knows that after the Holy Prophet (sa), it was Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), Hazrat Umar (ra), Hazrat Uthman (ra), Hazrat Ali (ra), Hazrat Talha (ra), Hazrat Zubair (ra), Hazrat Abdur Rehman (ra) bin Auf, Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) and Hazrat Saeed (ra) who were considered amongst the eminent companions. However, being considered as most eminent did not mean that they enjoyed the most comfort, rather it was owing to the fact that they endured greater hardship than anyone else for the sake of their faith. Hazrat Talha (ra) remained alive after the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa) and witnessed the era when dissension began amongst the Muslims after the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman (ra). Hazrat Talha (ra), Hazrat Zubair (ra) and Hazrat Aisha (ra) were leaders of the party which was of the opinion that revenge should be sought against those who killed Hazrat Uthman (ra). On other hand, the other party was led by Hazrat Ali (ra) and were of the opinion that man was indeed a mortal being [with reference to Hazrat Uthman (ra) martyrdom], but since Muslims had become divided, therefore the foremost need was to unite the Muslims in order to re-establish the glory and grandeur of Islam and revenge could be taken later. This disagreement escalated to such an extent that Hazrat Talha (ra), Hazrat Zubair (ra) and Hazrat Aisha (ra) alleged that Hazrat Ali (ra) wanted to grant refuge to those who had martyred Hazrat Uthman (ra). Hazrat Ali (ra), on the other hand, alleged that they were giving preference to their personal interests and were not thinking of what was beneficial to Islam. This disagreement went to the most extreme level and resulted in a battle between them. A battle in which Hazrat Aisha (ra) took command of one of the armies.

“Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) were also part of this battle. As mentioned earlier that they initially were amongst those who opposed Hazrat Ali (ra), however Hazrat Zubair (ra) heard what Hazrat Ali (ra) had to say and thus decided to leave, and Hazrat Talha (ra) also wanted to reconcile but the rebels hatched an evil ploy. Nevertheless, there were two groups which took part in the battle. Whilst the battle was taking place, a companion approached Hazrat Talha (ra) and said, ‘O Talha (ra)! Do you remember on such and such occasion, you were sat in the company of the Holy Prophet (sa) and he stated, “Talha, there will come a time when you will be part of an army and Ali will be part of a different army, however Ali (ra) will be on the side of the truth and you will be the one in error.”’ Hazrat Talha (ra) heard this and immediately realised and said, ‘Yes, I recall this.’ He then left the army at once and as he was walking away from the battle so that he could fulfil the words of the Holy Prophet (sa), a wretched individual who was fighting from Hazrat Ali’s army, went from behind and stabbed Hazrat Talha (ra) in the back resulting in his martyrdom.

“Hazrat Ali (ra) was in his camp and thinking that he would receive a great reward, the killer of Hazrat Talha (ra) ran towards Hazrat Ali (ra) and said, ‘O Leader of the Faithful [Amir-ul-Momineen]! I give you tidings that your enemy has been killed.’ Hazrat Ali (ra) asked who was the enemy? He replied, ‘O Leader of the Faithful, I have killed Talha (ra).’ Hazrat Ali (ra) replied to him, ‘I also give you tidings from the Messenger (sa) of Allah that you will be thrown into the Hellfire, because the Holy Prophet (sa) once said in a gathering in which Talha (ra) and I both were present, “O Talha! For the sake of the truth and establishing justice, you will have to endure indignity and you will be killed by an individual who God Almighty will cast into Hell.”’

“During this battle, when the armies of Hazrat Ali (ra) and Hazrat Talha (ra) and Hazrat Zubair (ra) were facing one another, Hazrat Talha (ra) began to present arguments in his favour of his stance – this is prior to the time when a companion (ra) reminded him about a saying of the Holy Prophet (sa), as a result of which he left the battlefield. Hazrat Talha (ra) began presenting reasons in his favour, when all of a sudden, someone from the army of Hazrat Ali (ra) said, ‘O paralysed one, remain silent!’ One of his hands had become completely withered and did not function at all. When he tauntingly referred to him as disabled and told him to remain silent, Hazrat Talha (ra) said, ‘You may have told me to remain silent and referred to my paralysed hand, but do you even know how this came to be in such a condition? During the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims became dispersed, there were only 12 companions around the Holy Prophet (sa). An enemy, three thousand strong, had surrounded us from all four corners and fired a burst of arrows in the attempt to kill the Holy Prophet (sa), thinking that if this was achieved it would bring an end to the matter. At the time, each enemy archer had their bow pointing towards the Holy Prophet (sa) and they would fire the arrows towards his face. It was during this time when I placed my hand in front of the face of the Holy Prophet (sa). All the arrows from the enemy struck my hand, to the extent that it became incapacitated and paralysed, but I never moved my hand away from the Holy Prophet’s face.’”

(Ainda wohy qaume izzat payen ge jo maali aur jaani qurabinio main hissa lein gi, Anwar-ul-Ulum Vol. 21, pp. 149-151)

Narration 3

Regarding this incident of Hazrat Talha (ra) during the Battle of the Camel [Jang-e-Jamal], on one occasion, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) stated:

“Someone cried out that the paralysed one had been killed! One companion (ra) who heard this said: ‘O wretched one, do you even know how his hand came to be paralysed? During the Battle of Uhud, when owing to a misunderstanding, the Companions dispersed from the battlefield, the enemies learnt that the Holy Prophet (sa) was still in the battlefield with only a few companions around him. All of a sudden, an army of 3,000 disbelievers attacked the Holy Prophet (sa). Hundreds of archers took up their positions and targeted their arrows in the direction of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) face in order to attack him. On that occasion, the one who safeguarded the blessed countenance of the Holy Prophet (sa) was Talha (ra). He placed his hand in front, and thus every arrow that would have struck the Holy Prophet’s face landed on Talha’s hand. Arrows would continue to fall and the wound would only deepen, resulting in permanent damage to the tendons and blood vessels of Hazrat Talha’s hand, which became paralysed as a result. Thus, the one whom you look upon with contempt owing to his paralysis, we consider it to be a blessing that each one of us yearns to attain it.’”

(Khutabat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 26, p. 386, Friday Sermon, 28 September 1945)